Investigation into beating reopened

The Court of Appeal has ordered the reinvestigation of the case against disbarred lawyer David Chanaiwa and his nephew, who were sentenced in June for attacking journalists after a car crash in Phnom Penh.

The two men were charged with assaulting reporters who arrived at the scene after Chanaiwa’s nephew, Prak Ou Fie, 20, crashed his car in the capital’s Daun Penh district in March.

Chanaiwa’s lawyer, May Vannady, requested the court drop the charges, but the court decided to call the reporters involved in the incident to shed some light on what happened.

“My client did not beat the reporters,” Vannady claimed.

Chanaiwa, 41, was given three years in prison and fined 6 million riel ($1,500), while Ou Fie was given two years to pay a 4 million riel fine.

Former under-sectetary of state Yean Sina was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison over his involvement in the incident and remains at large.